2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke

⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

This is the quickest I have read through a book in a long long time. This one was written with Kubrick reading early drafts with the intention of making a movie from it, and somehow it translates perfectly. The movie is a masterpiece, and like the Godfather a large part of that is probably due to the strength of the source.

The opening of the movie is genius, and the book is no different. A theme I noticed is that where the movie was artistic in its vagueness the book is a lot more clear about what is happening in different moments, with varying viewpoints and omniscient narration at times. The opening is this incredible depiction of human evolution, but through some alien assistance, yanking a primal species up and forcing them to take that next step. In the movie this ends with a genius transition, a weaponized bone hurtling into the sky and seamlessly becoming a space ship, an incredible depiction of the rapid change that learning to use tools was. It adds scope to the timeline, which is all of eternity, and the blip of time humans take up therein. I keep talking about the movie because the book is basically the same thing, and I could see these exact images as I read in a perfect marriage of book and film.

I think this book resonated with me in the way it made me feel insignificant. The human race is just a small part of an infinite universe, and characters grapple with that, all while trying to propel the race forward. There is beautiful imagery, and the spectacular ending hammers home the lack of control and knowledge we all have. Several times it also had me thinking about religion, which gets almost no mention in this book, and had me grappling with where I think it all fits in to this cosmic struggle of man. I could hardly put this book down, and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it.

Another amazing concept is the evil that the tools mankind creates produces. From the very beginning the tools were used to prolong and enrich life, but also to dominate, and that has hardly change. HAL 9000 is an incredible character, an AI helper that easily calculates paths through the stars, but turns eventually, manmade helpers seeking their own form of domination. There are too many parallels to list in our own world, and the fact that this book was written in 1968 is pretty astounding.

There are so many examples of tech in this book that is so close to modern tech that I had to keep reminding myself it was written so long ago. The movie is the same, with breathtaking views of space filmed before man made it to the moon. Mind-blowing stuff, and I couldn't help but think that Clarke is a genius.

The ending of the book is like the movie, but actually clarified a lot of what is going on in a trippy hallucination of a finale. The parallels to the start of the book are there, as mankind takes that next step, but I have no idea where the story could go from here. The first time I watched the movie on a tiny laptop in my dorm room I thought I was tripping out, could not fathom what I was seeing, and I chalked it up to artistic vision. The book is still mind bending but a bit more clear, which I appreciated, and I found myself completely gripped as it felt like reading a movie-explained article or something, unravelling the mystery the movie had posed for me so long ago.

I have always been fascinated by space, someone who wants to waste all his money on a telescope one day, and this book reignited that interest in me. I do always have that pull of thinking, well Earth sucks, why not fix it instead of wasting resources exploring an empty space. But this book tapped into something primal within me, the need to explore and to grow and to push humankind forward. The insignificance of our time here really pressed on me, and I found myself actually think of this paired with Banshees of Inisherin. Time spent pursuing art and creativity, maybe legacy, versus time spent being a good person and making the world a better place. Exploration and evolution would probably fall into the former, but real evolution happen over many centuries, which leaves me in a tough spot.

Lots to think about for me, and what more could I want in a book. Would be very curious how the book would have been received if I hadn't seen the movie, but they are a perfect pairing and, in my mind, both masterpieces of legacy, creativity, and humans briefly transcending humanity and our short lives.